One of the correct steps for organized labor to resurrect itself back in Wisconsin would be to successfully unionize Foxconn once the Mount Pleasant plant opens for business in 2020. I mean, think about it, the Governor, President & House Speaker all endorsed and are so proud of this new project believing that with its mere go ahead, that alone will solidify their respective self-images as advocates of creating jobs, being pro-middle class & such. Let’s push the GOP (whoever is still in office by then) by seeing how they’ll react publicly with their beloved “baby” to have unionized workers.
They talk about a “blue wave” that could be on the horizon and that certainly has some of the red worried, Congressman Paul Ryan for one. But a “UNION wave” could also create a large amount of momentum. The left needs a shot in the arm. Sure, a blue wave in this year’s election would certainly be a building block, it could possibly result in repealing “right-to-work” in our state. By unionizing Foxconn, an example and a drive could be made by encouraging the type of organization of other non-union companies that has sat dormant for decades! Don’t think that the Taiwanese company has a track record of constantly being fair to their workers (did anyone ever research this?), hardly. Just go online, some of their employees have attempted & succeeded at committing suicide in which caused accusations that they were a direct result of the company’s harsh working conditions. They’re already under investigation for breaking labor laws in China, those include benefits being stripped as well as lower than promised wages. If Foxconn were to pull this here in Wisconsin, such a labor movement likely wouldn’t be viewed by the general public as merely a way for unions to make noise, but rather could be viewed as an absolute necessity! How many of you heard your parents once tell you, “Unions were good back in the thirties & forties, but…”? Those days could be back.
In a nutshell, it all starts with the employee itself. Don’t try to convince yourself that things are good when they’re not. Be strong and unionize!